You Be The Judge

June 1, 1986|By Harry Straight and Donna Blanton of the Sentinel Staff

FORMER ATTORNEY-GENERAL Bob Shevin, who came close to running for governor this year, is furious at the Miami press corps. In a speech last week to the Tiger Bay Club, Shevin charged there are ''unscrupulous character assassins dressed in the clothes of alleged professional journalists'' who have reported the unsubstantiated claims of influence peddling by self- proclaimed, name-dropping Hialeah political fixer Alberto San Pedro. Shevin, who lost the 1978 Democratic primary runoff, found himself on the receiving end of questions when it was revealed that he was one of numerous prominent politicians who signed letters in 1979 on behalf of San Pedro's unsuccessful attempt to win a pardon for a 1971 conviction. Shevin said his decision not to enter this year's primary fight was not because of the publicity. Then he blamed press coverage -- specifically The Miami Herald and WTVJ-TV, Miami's CBS affiliate -- for deterring ''competent'' candidates from seeking public office.